Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



C. A. ELLIS.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS,

APPLICATION MED MN, 24. 191e.

` C. A. ELLIS. FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED XA'N. 24. i916. 1,287,928,

2 wens-SHEET il /IJI/ENTOH we .r ,Il INEI 0 comb wm zu :Pt remote fr@ 20 foam 1bv e, upcm 115i form ush t cow Av r the foa s evuiva. s Whlch A pipe connections for both automatic and controls and the use of two solution units; 7 is a side elevation,

manual supply Fig. tion, of the discharge plug control connection; and,

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of an oil tank showing both automatic and manual control connections therefor.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, and in particular to Fig. 1, 7 and 8 designate the two solution tanks of a supply u'nit.. These tanks contain the two solutions which, when mixed, will produce the iire extinguishing foam. It is combinations of chemical ingredients which will re-act to produce foam containing carbon-dioxid may be employed, but certain ingredients which have been 'found to be very eective in practiceiwillbe spcciiied herein partly in secby Way of example. The' solution for tank the market a substance 7, for instance, may consist of bi-,carbonate of soda, 10%, and water, 90%. The solution for the `other tank 8 will then consist of aluminium sulfate, 12%, Greek licorice, 3%, and Water,'85%. It is possible to obtain on known as foamite, which is produced from a secondary,Y extract. of Greek lico'rice, and it is found to give very desirable results'and is less expensive than glue, glucose and pure licorice, any of which might be used; "When this foamite is used bi-carbonate of soda,

""r--tion shown in Fig:

ybonate of soda,

as a substitute for licorice, it is added to the owing to .the preservative qualities of the latter. Therefore, the `solution for tank 7 will consist of bi-car- 8%, foagnite, 3%, and water, 89%, and accordingly the solution for tank 8 will consist of aluminium sulfate, 11%, and water, 89%. Since the freezing point of either of these solutions is only a few degrees below that of water, proper precautions should be taken t0 protect them in winter by burying the tanks under ground, or, if. it is necessary to keep them above ground, embedding them in manure or other suitable material. l/Vhen the tanks are sunk into the ground. each will occupy the posi- K 2 of the' drawing. Theis-two solutions, the ingredients of which have just been specified, are intended to be expelled from the closed steel tanks by air pressure when requiredfor use, as will be described more fully hereinafter. Their .combination in a mixing chamber produces for thc manual Alength and will have obvious that various sist thereby in maintaining the tinguish any oil tank aiire andprotect other oil tanks adjacent thereto. In practice, each gallon of the combined solutions produces approximately eight gallons oi? foam, which is suiiicient to cover one square surface. On this basis, two 93 diameter oil tanks will require seven thousand gallons of each solution. In this case, the dimensions of each tank will be 8 diameter by 28. for substantially twothirds of its cubical contents the solution contained therein, and for the vother onethird of its cubical contents air under age pressure of lbs. per square inch. his pressure will suliice to force the solutions throughI the pipe lines, which will be described. present for a considerable distance. However, by locating the tanks on high ground, gravity will assist thev air pressure in this work and it will thus be possible to remove the tanks to a safe distance from the ir'e zone. zone is meant the oil tanks to be protected and their immediate vicinity.

The air pressure of 7 5 lbs. is maintainedv at all times on the solution tanks by a small air compressor (not shown), if compressed air from a eneral source is not available. In the drawings, referring again to Fi 1, the numeral 9 designates a pipe lea ing from the air compressor to the solution tanks.` This pipe line is situated preferably above the level of the tanks and should have two connections for each solution tank. For this purpose, it branches into the vpipes 10, which are connected with the tanks 7 and v48 respectively at the tops thereof. A manually operable valve 12 is provided in the pipe 9 and a similar valve 13 is rovided in each of the said branch connections.. `Each valve 13 is ositioned at the angle formed in the branc pipe, which latter includes an uppermost horizontal section and lowermost vertical section. A vertical pipe 14 projects through the top wall of each tank and projects into the saine to a point near the botlarly so as to provide a horizontal portion 15 which is connected through the medium of a reducing valve 16 withone ofthe solution pipes, that for tank 7 being designated by the numeral 1 7. Vand that for tank 8 by the numeral 18. Where large manifolds and numerous pipe linesare necessary, each rcducing valve should be capable of reducing the air pressure from 7 5 to 20 lbs. per square inch gage. These valves will thus minimize the lossof air through leakage requisite air pressure onthe solution tanks. A manually operable valve 19 is provided preferablyiat and will asfoot of oil By the term fire tom, so that the lower end of this pipe will iis tion with a battery of tanksas shown particularly in Fig. 6, the solution pipes 17 and 18 are connected with manifolds 17" and 18b respectively. These manifolds are closed at their ends and are substantiall coextensive with the battery of tanks. hen it is desired to protect a series of oil tanks in thismanner, the installation is recommended, as an auxiliary solution supply, of a second unit of solution tanks. In this instance, the solution pipes ot this auxiliary unit are connected with the manifold as shown in Fig. 6, but are separated by block valves 17l and 18 which may be opened when emergency requires and the contents 'of the auxiliary tanks may then be utilized in the event that the solutions in the other tanks become exhausted.

1 so as to be separated as far as possible from the pipes 17 and 18e` desirable also to provide for each automatic connection with similar valves 17t and 181, which are similarly situated. These valves are, however, normally open, whereas the valves 17 and 18 are normally closed.

the fire zone. It is To prevent the contents of the oil` tanks from overflowing into the standpipe of the manual control connections, the stand-pipe of each is provided with a nipple 44 at its inner end. and this nipple has its free end closed by means of a gasket of sheet lead or like :trangible metall which is indicated by the numeral 45 in Fig. 7 of the drawings. It is obvious that this gasket may be secured to the nipple in any convenient manner, but it is illustrated by way of'example as being retained by means of a clamping ring 46 which embraces the inbent edges of the sheet. This gasket is comparatively thin se that it will be blown out very easily by the air pressure of the system when the corresponding manual control valves are opened.

The manual control valves are .intended primarily foruse in the case of a fire in one or more tanks when it is desired to protect the contents of adjacent tanks by covering the oil therein with foam, but they may be -used to assist the automatic operation incovering the' surface of the oil in any particular tank which may be on fire.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings a hose con' nection is shown.

In this instance .the solurtank and a single unit of foam supply.

tion line pipes 17 and 18 larev tapped and are connected by means of short pipe sections 17g and 18 with a T joint constitutes a mixing chamber.v From this chamber a stand-pipe 34.-* leads and is adapted to have a hose 47 connected therewith as at 48. Manually-operable valves 17h and 18 are provided in the pipe sections 17 and 18g respectively and are normally maintained closed. lVhen these valves are opened the solution will be permitted to enter the mixing chamber 33* and produce foam to be conducted to the indeterminate place where the fire is located through the hose. Hose connections of this sort are'preferably provided at a warehouse, wharf or other'location where such protection would most likely be required. It has been demon# strated that vthe foam is very efficient for extinguishing fires in the holds of vessels loadfd with case-oil and it follows that satisfactory results would be obtained in fight-- ing oil lbarge fires with the same. Similar results should 4be obtained with its use in `fighting fires in oil warehouses.

The operation of the system will now be described in connection with a singleUoil nder working conditions, valves 16, 19, 23 and 13 are open, whereas valves 24,.2v7,' Q8, 32 and 41 are closed. While the valves '16 are specified as being open, it is to be understood that they are maintaining a gage pressure of lbs. per square inch within the solution tanks while a reduced pressure of '20 lbs. exists in the solution lines between the reducing valves and the oil tank. The purpose of these reducing valves is threefold. In 'the first place, by reducing the pressure they minimize the loss of 'air through leakage, thereby assisting in maintaining the requisite air pressure on the solution tanks; secondly, they render it possible to fill the system with air very rapidly, since it will require very much less time `for a compressor to put the solution line of the system under 2O lbs. pressure than 75 lbs.; and thirdly, they will render the system very rapid inaction when the thermal plug, or a-manual control, is re pipes leased, for the system will rid itself of 20` lbsfpressure more readily than it would of p Now, when a fire occurs' in the oil tank to be protected, the temperature therein will be raised to the lfusing point of the solder which secures the brass closure disk in the fusible plug, where,- upou the disk an'd the high melting point wax ywill be blown out by the expanW sive force of the compressed air inthe 75 lbs.

, solution line pipes of the system. As soon as the fusible -plug is opened, the pressure on the said pipe lines which lead rto the voil tank is released, whereupon the highly compressed air within the solution tanks is perfluences upon the ingredients due to atmosplieric or temperature conditions. Then, the stored ingredients are maintained under a static pressure suflicient to deliver the saine instantly to the mixing point adjacent to the fire zone when released eitherv inanually or automatically. Since the ingredients are Aunder pressure when they are mixed, they will cemmingle instantaneously and will insure an accelerated generation of foam and a discharge o' the same more rapid than the discharge of foam by its own expansion, but not so rapid as to hurl it into the burning oil, `which has been pointed out heretofore as being objectionablen Since the foam is produced at a point adjacent' to the lire zone, its delivery Will be prompt during chemical reaction, so there will be no long and foam-destroying passage through long pipes, spray nozzles, or other restricting ducts. Consequently, When a tire occurs, a tenacious and lingering, foaming mass in a state of chemical reaction and violent ebulli tion will be discharged suddenly onto the burning surfaces and will possess both cool ing and fire extinguishing properties to. a-

very .l'iigh degree. Another important feature resides in the fact that, With the length and size of conducting pipes of a particular apparatus in mind, the time of delivery on release of the static pressure may be regw lated by increasingor decreasing the degree of this pressurewhen the system is initially placed in workin condition If it is found to be desirable a ter the apparatus has been installedto increase the length of or ramiy the conducting pipes ofthe system to ac commodate the apparatus to an increased number of oil tanks or the like, the static pressure may be adjusted correspondingly in a manner which should be readily understood. i L- Having thus described the invention, what it is desired to claim and to secure by Let tersePatent of the United States is:

1. A fre-extinguishing apparatus comprising a storage receptacle for lire-extinguishing fluid, a ,conducting pipe leading from the receptacle, controlling means for v the conducting pipe adapted normally to close the same at the discharge end, a reducing-valve provided in the pipe near the receptacle and adapted normally to maintain a reduced pressure at the side of the sa me opposite to the receptacle, a supply pipe for compressed Huid connected with the receptacle'behind the fluid contained therein and with the conducting pipe at a point located between the reducing.l Valve and the receptacle, and means for maintaining a pressure in the supply pipe on the recap-- tacle sufficient to force the fire-extinguishing fluid thrcughthe conducting pipe when the pressure in the latter in advance of the es said yalife 1s released.

insignes I 2. A. lireextinguishing apparatus coml prising a plurality of storage receptacles for separately stored foam-producing 1ngred1- ents, a mixing chamber, separate conducting pipesfor the said ingredients leading from the respective storane receptacles tothe mix-l ing chamber, a discharge pipe leading from the said chamber, controlling means for the discharge pipe adapted normally to close the same, means for maintaining a static pressurev in eacli'storage receptacle beh-indI the charge oil! ingredients contained therein suilicient to force it through the conducting pipe when released, for applying u pressure within the conducting' pipe for each recep tacle immediately in adyance of the latter sullicient to counter-balance the pressure behind its charge of ingredients and for mehr taining ay reduced pressure throughout the rest of cach conducting pipe While the said discharge pipe is closed. v y

fl. A. tire-extinguishing apparatus corn-y prisin'g a plurality of storage receptacles for separately stored foam-producing ingredi` cuts a mining chamber, separate conductf ing pipes for the said ingredients leading from the respectivo storage receptacles to the. mining chamber, a discharge pipe leadf ing from the said chamber,` controlling means for the discharge pipe adapted nonl inally to close the same, means for main taining a static pressure 'in each lstorage re.- ceptacle behind the charge of ingredients contained therein sullicient to force it connecting said two pipes, and a reducing valve in' said discharge pipe.

4, A fire-extinguishing apparatus of the class described comprising a pnir'o storage ico los

there receptacles for separately stored foam-pro ducing ingredients situated re'mote from the lire zone, amixing chamber disposed close to the fire zone, separate conducting pipes for the said ingredients leading from the respective storage receptacles to thev mixing chamber, a discharge pipe leadingfrom ,the said chamber, controlling' means *for the discharge adapted same, the said sto `ptacles being protf'ided 'ef-th compressed fluid adapted place the ingredients therein under static pressure suicient to propel the same mmally to close the l lio a second pipe j through the conducting pipes when released by the said controlling means, pressure redircinpF valves provided in the said conduct ing pipes in suitable proximity te the storege receptacles for retaining the pressure in the receptacles and at the same time maintaining a pressure of lower degree in the portions of the said pipes which lead from ,the reducing 'valves to the mixing chamber.

a manually operable valve provided in each of the said conducting` pipes between the reducing ralve thereof. and the corresponding storage receptacle, by-pass provided in each conducting pipe to extend around the inanuaily operable Valve, two manually operable valves provided in each of the said by-passes, a supply pipe leading from a source of compressed Huid, a valve provided vin the supplypipe:` branch pipes leading;

from the supply pipe to the tops of the storage receptacles, connecting pipes leading troni the said branch pipes to the said bypasses of the respective conducting pipes and being connected with the by-passes at points situated between the two valves in each instance, the. conducting` pipesbeing in communication with the storage recep.

taeles substantially at the bottoms thereof,

Q check-valves provided in the said conneetimel pipes and being set. against the conducting pipes, a. manually operable valve provided in each of the said` branch pipes between .the point or connection of the correspond ing connecting pipe therewith and the corresponding storage receptacle, a second manually operable valve provided in each branch pipe between its first-mentioned valve and the corresponding storage receptacle, a ley-pass provided in each branch pipe. to exten? around the second valve therein, a chec i-valve provided in each ot against the storage receptacle, and a valvcd vent provided at the top of each receptacle.

5. A yfire extinguishingapparatusv comprising a storage receptacle for ire-extinguishing` iuid, a conducting, pipe leading from the receptacle, controlling means lfor the conducting` pipe adapted normally 'to Aclose the same at the discharge end, means source of compressed fluid to the receptacle and a continuously open conduit between the pipe.

In testimony whereof I have name to this speeicatl-on 1n the two' subscribing witnesses.

CLFFORD A. ELLIS.

signed my liritnesses:

FRANK A. SToNesAoK, W M. B. STEVENS.

pipe last-mentioned and said conducting presence oi the last-mentioned by-passes and being set 

